


Winston

by CallofTheCurlew



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Corgi, Dan and Phil adopt a dog, Fluff, Funny, M/M, Phandom Fic Fests Holiday Exchange, dan and phil get a dog, light - Freeform, linguisticswithlester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 08:15:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17117726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallofTheCurlew/pseuds/CallofTheCurlew
Summary: "Dan gifts Phil a corgi for Christmas but the trouble of keeping it a secret until the 25th is harder than he thought."- A gift for linguisticswithlester. Thank you so much!





	Winston

**Author's Note:**

  * For [linguisticswithlester](https://archiveofourown.org/users/linguisticswithlester/gifts).



There are six of them.

Six wiggly puppies.

Dan is in heaven.

“Dan? Welcome, welcome, come on in…”

The breeder - Linda - reminds Dan of Mrs. Claus, with her big smile and bright eyes. It’s kind of fitting, given the circumstances.

He says hello nervously as he steps through her front door. Somehow the puppies don’t try to make a break for freedom, swarming around his ankles instead. Dan isn’t sure if he should engage with them or ignore them, and he tries to follow Linda without stepping on any of their tiny paws. Linda’s got the heat on and it’s almost stifling, so he unwinds his scarf and places it on her kitchen counter.

“Did you find the place alright?”

“My Uber did,” Dan jokes, “It was fine. The trip wasn’t too long.”

“Oh that’s good. Some people even come from overseas just to meet the pups,” Linda says. Dan is trying to pay attention to her, but he can’t take his eyes off the dogs either, who desperately want his attention. “This is the latest litter of our Welsh Pembroke Corgis, which we assessed would be perfect for your needs. You’ve been on our waiting list for a while now, haven’t you?”

Dan hums, “About six months.”

“It’s pretty short, considering. Some people wait over a year for some breeders, sometimes longer…”

“What makes it different this time?”

“Just lucky,” Linda smiles, “Not much interest this year - it ebbs and flows, sometimes, with the time of year as well. You just happened to be on our wait-list at the exact right time.”

Dan nods, staring down at the puppies, who are still overly excited. He can’t help his grin, “They’re cute as hell. Can I say hello?”

“By all means. I’m surprised you haven’t already,” Linda says. Dan hopes that doesn’t reflect badly on him - he  _ wanted  _ to say hi, he just wasn’t sure about etiquette. To make up for it,  he immediately crouches. The puppies leap up as one to rest their little front paws on his knees, and he coos softly.

He wants to pet them all at once but he gets by with quick head-rubs for all of them. They lick his face in return and he can’t stop laughing. He  _ wishes _ Phil was here; he would  _ love _ it. They’re all so fat and short with stubby legs, and ears bigger than their heads, and their coats are soft and their eyes are bright and Dan would adopt all of them if he could.

“We have two females and four males,” Linda explains, sitting on the ground with him. A few of the puppies - the ones not getting enough attention - abandon Dan for her, crawling into her lap.

“Do they all have names?” Dan asks curiously. Through the lower window in front of him, he can see other dogs outside of all breeds and sizes. From the breeder information page, she also mentioned fostering other dogs as well. Dan wonders how she keeps track.

“Sure do. They’re the W-troupe,” she says brightly, but when Dan gives her a confused look, she continues, “Each litter we get is assigned a name associated with their letter. So we have Whitney and Wanda, and Walter, Wallace, Wade and Winston…”

Dan’s eyes bulge as she points them all out, “That’s- they’re all so… similar?”

She laughs, “Their collars tell them apart. It takes a little while, but we have these guys from birth, so it’s easy once you remember.”

“Oh, right. That makes more sense.” he nods, finally noticing the different collars. Each of them have a little name plate, and he checks the blue collar around the puppy that has made himself comfortable in Dan’s lap, “Hi Winston…”

Of course, it’s Phil’s go-to name, other than Susan. How fitting.

“Winston’s a quiet boy,” Linda comments, “I actually figured that either Winston or Whitney would be perfect for your situation. Pembrokes make good apartment dogs, as long as they’re well exercised, which it sounds like you are from your application.”

Dan nods, “Yeah, I’m a pseudo-jogger. Pseudo because I hate it but I do it too often to not call myself one,” he says, wrinkling his nose at the over-explanation. He just wants to impress her, and for her to be okay with him taking one of these dogs home, “We try and get out at least three times a week, if not more. And I’m sure we can fit in a daily walk if our new pup gets restless easily.”

“Oh that’s right - the puppy is a surprise Christmas gift, right?”

“As cliche as it sounds, yes,” Dan rolls his eyes, “Our neighbours don’t seem to hate us yet so we’re looking for a new way to piss them off.”

She laughs loudly, but her face turns serious, “You know dogs aren’t just for Christmas, right?”

Dan smiles. He’s not offended, and he almost expected this conversation, if he’s honest. The mantra goes on every year on tumblr and facebook - adopt, don’t shop, puppies aren’t for Christmas, they aren’t little forever, they’ll end up in the pound, try fostering to see if you’re suited for a dog etc etc.

“Yeah,” he says seriously, “I used to own a collie, and my parents have a little pup too. I know how hard they are to look after, and it’s a lot of work. But my partner and I are literally home every second of the day - we both work from home - and we rarely leave the house for too long,” he said, before cringing, “That’s not as sad as it sounds, I promise.”

“Sounds perfect for your puppy, at least,” she comments with a grin.

“Yeah. And we’ve wanted a dog together for so long. We put it off and off and off because of finances, because of the size of where we lived, and our jobs… but we’re ready now.”

Dan can tell he’s impressed her by the way her eyes soften. By now, the puppies have lost interest in the humans not patting them, and they’re milling around instead. Two of them wrestle each other off to the side, but most of them flop onto their bellies and sides for naps.  Winston still sits in Dan’s lap, head on his knee as Dan runs his hands through his short, silky fur.

“Hmm. Well, do you have any questions about the dogs?”

“I did some research,” Dan says, chewing his lip thoughtfully, “So I know quite a bit by now, but... I guess… what’s grooming like? They shed, right?”

“They shed  _ a lot _ ,” Linda advises, “It might be worth buying some grooming tools… and a better vacuum cleaner. I actually suggest one of those little automatic vacuum robots.”

Dan breaks into a wide grin, “Oh, we’ve already got one. We are the epitome of lazy when it comes to chores. But in terms of grooming, can you recommend some, er, brushes?” Dan asks, “Otherwise we’re just going to go to the nearest pet store and go a bit crazy,” he laughs.

“Of course, that’s no problem. Have you thought about what type of food you’re going to give your puppy?”

“Umm, I heard we’re not supposed to give them only biscuits? So I’m thinking puppy meat and maybe rice and vegetables? It seems like the best option for them, but I’m just not sure  _ which _ puppy meat to get...”

Linda laughs quietly, “How about I write you a list? What is your budget like?”

“Unlimited,” Dan says easily, “We want to make sure we start out right.”

She nods thoughtfully before getting to her feet, presumably to find a notepad and pen.

“All the puppies are mostly toilet trained at this point. They’re trained to bark at the door when they need to go out, so you’ll just have to take them, but they’re still puppies so they may have a few accidents.”

Dan nodded, “Not a problem.”

Dan looks down at Winston thoughtfully. It’s only a meet and greet today, to meet the puppies and see which one might be best for him, and for Linda to assess if they’d be a good match. It seems to be Winston, Dan thinks. He wants a dog that will happily settle, moderately quiet and not a big barker (as he knew Corgi’s generally are). He likes Winston already.

He’s incredibly cute, for one, with the majority of his mask a deep black, with two little light brown coloured eyebrow spots. His muzzle is white, the colour stretching down to his chest and belly. Light brown litters his cheeks and the very tip of his tail, which wags idly as Dan pets him.

“Looks like you might’ve found your new furbaby,” Linda tells him from the counter, and Dan realises he’s just been staring fondly down at the puppy with a goofy grin on his face. He hopes her comment means that she thinks that Dan is a good match too.

“Oh,” Dan feels his cheeks warm, “He’s cute,” he admits, scratching him behind the ears. Winston gives a wide yawn and Dan melts. This one is definitely the puppy for him.

“Hi baby,” he coos softly, “You’re so sleepy, little one... “

“You should see them after meals, and when they just wake up. They’re not sleepy - not even Winston.”

Dan grins, lowering his face to nuzzle his soft fur, “He’s so soft.”

“That’ll be the shampoo, I’ve written down some conditioners too. You don’t have to get all of them, of course, but this is the  _ ultimate  _ list of what I use. The list changes too, as they get bigger, and they need the adult versions of a lot of these products.”

Dan laughs softly, “Only the best, hey Winston?”

“You obviously don’t have to keep their names, either.”

Dan shrugs, “It’s okay, I kind of like them all. And Winston - it’s kind of an inside joke between my partner and I.”

Linda smiles warmly, “Wonderful. It looks like you’re pretty set on this pup, or would you like to get to know the others?” she says, but from her tone, Dan feels it’s time to wrap things up. He picks Winston up carefully, holding the puppy to his face and rubbing noses with him.  

“I think Winston is the boy for me. Like you said, he’s quiet, and I think he’ll make a good fit,” he explains, putting Winston down. The dog toddles a few feet before flopping onto his bed.

“Great. Well, I’m incredibly happy; I think you’re definitely ready for a dog and you seem to have already bonded with Winston. I’ll just take your details and payment now, but you won’t be able to pick him up for another week or so.”

They go over the details and the agreement, and Dan’s heart thrums as he signs the adoption forms. It’s really happening. They’re getting a dog. It’s time, he knows. Their house is missing something, but Dan is certain it’s not a baby. He knows they’re not ready for that yet - maybe not ever. It’s definitely dog time, now that their careers have settled, and that they as people have figured themselves out too.

“So, he’s all good to be picked up on the twenty-fourth? Thanks for leaving it so late.”

Linda nods, confirming, “The twenty-fourth. The date is no problem at all, I’m just glad we won’t have him for Christmas - the rest of the litter will be gone by then and he’ll be all alone, aside from his parents. Winston will be all ready to go, let’s say at lunch, at eleven?”

Dan will have to think of a good excuse to leave the house with Louise, who volunteered to take him, but he nods, “Sounds good.”

He crouches to pet Winston goodbye, “See you soon, little man.”

***

“This is so  _ bleedin’  _ exciting. I can’t believe you’re actually doing this.”

Dan laughs. He’s so nervous, legs jittery as they arrive at the house. Their first stop was the pet store, where Dan bought everything on Linda’s list. The bag in the back seat is overflowing with dog toys, dog treats, shampoos and conditioners, a bed, a grooming kit and accessories. Their first vet trip will be reserved for flea and tick medicine, so as of now, they’re ready to welcome Winston into their home.

“I kind of can’t believe it either,” Dan admits, getting out of the car. He finds the new collar and leash they just bought, but he doesn’t think he’ll need it - he’ll probably carry Winston to the car.

“Are you ready? Ready to welcome this new bundle of joy into your life? Ready for sleepless nights and getting worried sick whenever they hurt themselves?” Louise asks.

“I get that enough with Phil, I think I’m ready for it.”

Louise just laughs. They approach the house and Dan knocks, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waits. He hears the pitter-patter of paws on tile behind the door, and when it opens they’re greeted by Linda and only Winston. His little docked tail is wagging like crazy and Dan beams widely, greeting Linda.

“Oh my god, look at his little legs. They’re so chunky…” Louise coos softly, over-excited but trying to keep it contained.

“He’s actually the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Dan murmurs, and once they’re let in he reaches down to give him a special pat. That’s his dog. Winston.

“Good morning,” Linda beams, “All ready to take your new furbaby home?”

“Sure am,” Dan says happily, “We went out this morning and got pretty much everything on your list.”

“Sounds like you’re going to be pretty prepared, but puppies are still a handful. They’re unpredictable, so prepare for the worst and make sure you puppy-proof your apartment. They’re still teething, so they pretty much want to chew  _ everything.  _ Shoes, toys, remotes, everything.”

“RIP everything in our apartment,” Dan murmurs under his breath, which has Louise giggling beside him, “Yeah, I think I’m prepared for a few casualties. Hopefully we’ll flood him with enough toys that he won’t want the shoes.”

“They always want the shoes,” Linda quips as she hands a folder to him, “This is your adoption form, the agreement we signed, microchipping details, receipt for the payment and all of his vet records so far. I recommend you keep this folder and add to it as you go, with things like his yearly vaccinations and anything else that happens, just so you have a quick reference if anything ever happens. Are you thinking of training him?”

“We’ll probably go to some classes, honestly. I know the basics of training, but beyond ‘sit’ it’s kind of hazy and would be mostly guess-work.”

“That’s a good idea. Corgis are very, very clever. He’ll appreciate being stimulated.”

Dan nods, “Got it.”

“I guess that’s everything then,” Linda announces with a smile. “I think you’re ready.”

Dan can’t help his wide grin, “Alright,” he says softly, passing the folder to Louise and crouching down and calling Winston’s name.

The second he hears his name, Winston’s ears perk, and he races towards Dan, “Oh, you’re such a good boy, aren’t you Winston?” he coos. Linda passes Dan a treat to feed to him, “Good job for coming to your name, you clever thing.”

He quickly transfers the collars, taking the old blue one off and passing it to Linda, before slipping the new one on, “Oh, you look very handsome in your new collar, don’t you? Ready to come home with us?”

Winston doesn’t answer or bark in confirmation like Dan hoped, but his tail is wagging and that’s enough for him.

“If you have any problems in the first few weeks, give me a call, okay? You’ve got a two week turnaround where we can refund and take him back, but that only really applies for unexpected circumstances like allergies, or the dog not getting along with other pets. If there’s behavioural problems, we’d rather work with you to correct them before you hand him back.”

“I understand,” Dan acknowledges, before scooping up the little dog. He squirms, but Dan nuzzles him and strokes him gently until he calms down.

“Well, good luck with the surprise,” Linda says brightly, “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” Dan replies, and with that, Winston is his.

“You just adopted a dog. The internet is going to freak.” Louise laughs, and Dan grins. They get into the car and Dan puts Winston in his lap, two fingers hooked into his collar to keep him from jumping about. He seems nervous, but that’s to be expected - Dan  _ did _ just take him away from his home.

“Yeah, well. I think we’ll keep him a secret for a bit, but we’ve got a liveshow scheduled for the third, so if the truth isn’t out by then, I doubt we can hide a puppy running around.”

“Your fans aren’t going to believe you, from how often you’ve trolled them about getting a dog.”

“It was only once!” Dan exclaimed, “Once that we actually joked we had gotten a pup. The other times was just us  _ around _ dogs.”

Louise rolls her eyes, “Still, the way you two talk about it...”

“It’s always been the endgame. It just had to be right. We couldn’t exactly go on a world tour and leave a dog for a year. Now that we’re done, we can settle, finally.”

“Congratulations for already being responsible Dads,” she laughs, and Dan rolls his eyes fondly, “Are you taking him to your Mum’s place?”

“Yeah, of course. I want him to meet Colin.”

“Are you going to film the big reveal to Phil?”

“Probably. I haven’t really decided how I’m gonna do it yet though. I was thinking of putting him in a box, like Lady and the Tramp? But then the thought of putting him in a box was pretty harrowing, so I vetoed that pretty quickly.”

“Good choice,” Louise agrees. “I would not want to be in a box, even for five minutes.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine to look after him for the night?” Dan asks.

“I’ve had dogs before,” she assures him. “It’ll be fine.”

Dan nods, chewing his lip, “I feel bad that I’m not just bringing him straight to the house, but I don’t think I could hide it from Phil that long.”

“He’ll be okay, as long as Darcy and Pearl don’t fall in love and want to keep him.”

“Or Liam, for that matter.”

“Or Liam,” Louise agrees as she stops in front of Dan’s apartment.

Dan heaves a breath, petting the little puppy in his lap, “Alright Winston. Be good for Louise... I promise I’ll see you early Christmas morning.” he said, kissing the top of his head before strapping him into the back seat, “Thank you, Louise. I owe you.”

“You’re granting me puppy cuddles. It’s nothing, Dan. I’ll be around on Christmas Morning with croissants and Winston.”

He beams, nodding, “Can’t wait. See you!”

Dan feels bad as the car pulls away, already incredibly attached to the dog.

***

It’s three hours later that Louise calls him.

_ “Tiny problem.” _

“Oh no,” Dan murmurs, glancing at Phil, who looked up when the phone buzzed, “Um, everything okay?”

_ “Darcy’s allergic to Winston. Poor thing can’t stop sneezing and she’s got a bit of a rash coming up on her hands and arms and her chin where she’s cuddled him. Liam’s taken her out to get some antihistamines, but, well-” _

“But he needs to go, no, I get it. Understandable. Ummm. Okay, two seconds,” he says, gesturing to Phil that everything is fine, before escaping down the stairs. He drops his voice, hoping Phil believes him and doesn’t follow to check up on him, “Um, okay. Can you bring him back? I’ll just- have to keep him hidden until tomorrow.”

_ “Are you sure? I can take him to….” _

She trails off when she realises there really isn’t anywhere for him to go.  

“It’ll be alright. I’ll figure something out,” Dan promises, “Is it okay to bring him back here?”

_ “No problem at all. Give me twenty minutes? Do you guys want anything to eat?” _

“No mum,” he teases, “But thank you. Sorry about Darcy… is she okay?”

_ “Oh, don’t even worry. She’s fine, and she’s not itchy or anything. But I can’t imagine keeping him around will be good for her.” _

“Of course, of course. Thank you…”

Dan hangs up and heads upstairs to Phil’s curious eyes. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do about Winston, and he needs to figure something out fast.

“Is everything okay?”

“Fine,” Dan says lightly, “Louise, just having a drama.”

Phil just nods, going back to his laptop. Dan tries to act casual, sitting back down, but he’s restless, checking his phone every few moments.

“Be back in a sec,” he finally says, getting up to head back downstairs. The downstairs bathroom is the most logical place to put WInston for the interim. It’s spacious, has a door, and Phil has absolutely no reason to go there. If he puts Winston’s bed and toys in there, and checks on him every twenty minutes, he shouldn’t be a problem. If Dan could get Phil out of the house - well, that would be even better.

It’s not really fair on Winston, Dan thinks. He’s only a baby, taken away from his family, to be stuffed in a bathroom overnight, but it’ll be the only,  _ only _ time it happens.

He heads back upstairs, feeling a little more justified in his decision, “I left my- wallet, in Louise’s car, so she’s just dropping it back,” he lies smoothly.

“Oh, that’s what that was about,” Phil says with a hum, “It’ll be good to see her again, maybe she’ll stop for coffee?”

Dan blinks. “Um, nah. She said she’s on the way to something, so I’ll just head out and grab the wallet.”

Phil doesn’t seem to suspect anything, just nods and  and returns to staring at his laptop. Dan tries to do the same but he can’t concentrate. It’s not going to be easy, keeping this secret. If Winston barks, there’s no way Dan can hide it. He sits and fidgets, trying to come up with contingency plans if Winston is revealed too early, and what he’s going to say - and more importantly, how he’s going to reveal the dog if they do make it through the night.

Louise texts twenty minutes later, as promised, and Dan isn’t sure how this is going to work. They’ve got one trip to get Winston and all of his things into the house, or Phil will get suspicious.

“Louise is here. I’ll be back in a sec,”

Thankfully Phil doesn’t offer to come down, like Dan had thought he would. He hurries downstairs, taking them two at a time and almost tripping. Luckily he makes it without incident.

“Hey,” Dan greets Louise as she gets out, and he heads to the backseat to free Winston from the puppy seat-belt. The corgi’s tail goes crazy at the sight of Dan and the pup clearly wants to lick him stupid, but Dan is on a strict time limit, “Did he bark much at all?”

“Not at all, he’s very quiet,” she says, “Want me to help bring in the other stuff?”

“If you could, that’d be great. I’m hoping Phil doesn’t suddenly want to come down and figure out why me getting my wallet is going to take so long.”

Louise laughs, “You’re mad,” she shakes her head, gathering up the bags, “You know he’s not going to mind if his present comes a day early. In fact, knowing Phil, he’d probably love it.”

Dan whines, a long exaggerated sigh leaving his lips, “I’ve committed to this idea now though. I want to see it through.”

“Clinically insane, you are.” Louise affirms, and together they take the bags and Winston inside.

“Anyway, there’s your wallet. Take good care of it!” Louise says loudly, and Dan cringes, hurriedly waving her away. “Text me, let me know how it all goes,” she whispers as she  leaves the house.

Quickly, Dan takes Winston into the downstairs bathroom. He runs around like a madman, setting up his comfy bed, filling his water bowl and opening a few of the toys, tempting him with some and giving him a quick pat.

“I’ll be back soon. Please,  _ please _ be quiet,” he told the puppy, kissing his head, “Be good.”

He takes the puppy meat out of the bags and makes a quick decision,stuffing them up his sweater and awkwardly crossing his arms atop the lumps. They’re all individually wrapped and it’s not like they’re leaking, but this is still kind of horrific for him at the same time.

Dan doesn’t have an excuse as to why retrieving his wallet had taken so long, but luckily Phil doesn’t ask. As soon as he reaches the top step, he shuffles to the fridge to hide the meat amongst the other food in the freezer. There’s no way Phil will be looking. Dan thinks he’s going to need to change his sweater at some point through. It’s not even soiled, but the memory of the meat pressed up against his stomach... He ducks to their bedroom to put on a different sweater, and decides to put pyjama pants on as well, so Phil doesn’t question the sweater change .

“Want to watch a show?” Dan asks when he returns. Perhaps loud television will disguise a bark, if there is one.

“It’s Christmas Eve…” Phil murmurs, shutting his laptop and glancing towards their tree, decked out in the most colourful tinsel and lights. He grins fondly at the stack of presents beneath, proud of their efforts, “We should do something.”

“Something?” Dan asks weakly.

“I don’t know. Make food or- be getting ready for tomorrow.”

“We solved the problem of cooking by having a potluck,” Dan points out, “And the house is already clean…” he hums, “The only thing left to do is make the brownies tomorrow.”

Phil giggles, “I still think that’s such a cop-out.”

“Everyone knows that we’re horrendous at cooking. Nobody expects anything else. And besides, when you’re hosting you get certain… allowances.” Dan justifies.

Phil scoffs, “Not at my Mum’s house. Hosting means all the pressure. Best plate, best decorations, best hosting skills…”

“Your house parties must’ve been wild,” Dan says with a laugh, “Come on, you know our friends. It’ll be fine.”

Phil heaves a sigh, nodding, “Can we watch some shitty Christmas special tonight please?”

“If we didn’t, I would’ve been offended.”

Phil nods, obviously pleased they’re on the same wavelength. He stretches out on the couch and Dan knows that he needs to go and check on Winston soon. He just needs an excuse.

“Oh.” Dan says, a lightbulb going off, “I’m going to go have a bath, I think.”

Phil smirks. “Want me to join you?”

“Cute, but not today,” Dan demurs “I feel gross and I just want to sit in my own filth on my own, if that’s okay?”

Phil doesn’t look put out, which makes Dan feel better, “Of course it’s okay. Enjoy your alone time.”

Dan walks over, leaning down to press a kiss between his eyebrows, “Thank you,” he says, because whenever he wants privacy, Phil never makes him feel weird about it. And although he feels slightly guilty for abandoning Phil  _ not _ for mental health reasons, he’s still grateful for his man.

“Have a good bath. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Dan says and then heads downstairs again.

At the bottom of the steps, he pauses to make sure Phil hasn’t randomly followed him, before opening the door to the bathroom slowly.

A  _ very _ excited Winston greets him, leaping up to try and get closer to him, whining gently.

“Hey, hey, shhh…” Dan says softly but urgently. He hurries to the bathtub, turning on the taps to hide any sound of Winston crying, “I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry. Not long now, I promise. Just overnight, and then you’ll have free range of the house, I promise,” he coos.

Winston is still bouncing, leaping on him to lick at his face. Dan can’t help his laugh, patting him fondly. He glances around at the toys strewn around the bathroom, also checking for any messes he’s made, but it all seems clean.

“You probably need to go outside, don’t you buddy…” he murmurs, mouth twisting thoughtfully. How he was going to pull this off, he had no idea, “Ummm.” he murmured, before it clicked and he grinned. He was pretty clever sometimes.

He took the plug out of the bath, turning the taps down low and letting the water run down the drain. He quickly hooked Winston’s harness and collar up, attaching the little dog baggies to his collar as well, not really excited about using them. Carefully, he opened the door, pulling on Winston’s lead but-

Of course.

Winston sits, staring at Dan quizzically.

“Come on,” Dan whispers, trying not to sound angry even though he's practically hissing at the little dog.

Winston’s tail wags slightly, his tongue lolling from his mouth.

Dan rolls his eyes. He's so small, it's easy enough to just drag him along, but Dan figures he’s already traumatised the dog enough.

“Please come?” Dan whispers, patting his leg enticingly.

Winston doesn’t move. Dan huffs softly. He bends, picking the puppy up instead.

“This is the only time this happens, okay? You’re going to get big and fat and we aren’t going to be able to carry you everywhere.”

He closes the bathroom door behind him, creeping to the front door.

All it would take is for Phil to pass the banister. They could be caught at any moment.

He has to slowly put Winston down; unable to unlock everything with one hand and keep the dog carefully balanced.

Dan barely breathes as he clicks the lock on the front door, trying desperately to go slow and keep it quiet. Even his breath feels too loud. If Winston barked, he would faint.

But the door unlocks, and Dan pulls it open as gently as he can.

It creaks.

It creaks and Dan freezes, his heart in his throat. Since when has that door creaked?! Has it always creaked? Had he never tried to quietly open it before?

His whole body feels tightly wound, but he doesn’t hear Phil stir upstairs.

After a long moment, Dan gathers the courage to continue opening the door. It doesn’t creak this time, and Dan glances down at Winston to check on him.

His nose is in a shoe, and it’s almost the cutest thing Dan has ever seen. Dan grabs one of the large overcoats from the front door rack when he starts to get chills from the frosty air, pulling it on and glancing back at Winston.

“Come on,” Dan whispers, tugging on the leash again and this time Winston actually trots out the door, “Thank you!”

He works just as hard to close the door quietly, and then picks Winston up again as they head around the back of the apartment block, where there’s a small grassy area.

“Look at this,” Dan tells the puppy, putting him gently onto the chilled grass, “Welcome to your bathroom.”

Why Dan expects Winston to answer him, he doesn’t know, but he’s still kind of disappointed when he doesn’t. Winston trots bravely as far as the leash will take him, and Dan follows him around patiently.

“Phil is gonna love you, Winston,” Dan comments, “I think I’m gonna bring you out in the morning. We’ll be just watching some TV and then I’ll let you wander in, unannounced. I think that’ll be cute. Better than putting you in a box, hey?”

He continues to chat idly, and suddenly it’s been twenty minutes and Dan knows that he’s going to need to be back soon. It’s getting close to the late evening, and Phil will want him out of the bath so they can order food.

Luckily, as he turns around to tell this to Winston, he catches him mid-squat.

“Good boy!” Dan praises, which feels weird now he’s said it out loud, but all of the books he’d read on toilet training puppies were all very similar in that praise worked for  _ everything _ , “Good job, little man.”

He’s forgotten the treats, but he’ll remember next time.

Once Winston is done, he detaches a baggie and deals with the mess, tying the bag up and beaming to himself. They’re gonna be good dog parents, he thinks.

“Alright, come on,” Dan says, tugging the lead. Winston just stares, so again he’s up in Dan’s arms, and accompanies Dan to the bin while he disposes of the baggie too.

He manages to open the door still holding Winston this time, and he’s as quiet as a mouse as he closes it behind him. He hangs up the coat he took and heads to the bathroom without incident.

“How are you already so heavy?” Dan complains, closing the door behind him once they’re both safely inside.

He turns off the water, and guilt strikes again. A lot of water was wasted, and Dan sighs. In keeping this secret, he’s been at fault a number of times. Maybe it would be easier to just tell Phil now?

But no. Dan frowns, his intent clear. He needs to surprise Phil. He has to. He wants to see his face on Christmas morning, lit up in wonder for their new puppy.

He locates Winston, who has gone to his water bowl for a long drink. It means he’ll need to pee later, but Dan doesn’t mind cleaning that up if he does it in the bathroom.

“I have at least fifteen more minutes with you, little one,” Dan says softly, sliding to the ground and sitting up against the bathtub, “It’s not too much longer that we have to live in secret like this...”

Winston ignores him, trotting over to a toy and giving it an idle sniff before putting his tiny mouth around it.

“You’re probably hungry, aren’t you?” Dan asks, mouth twisting sympathetically, “I’ll give you some biscuits for now, and you can have some proper food once Phil’s asleep,” he says, but then he remembers that Phil never sleeps well on Christmas Eve and he releases a chagrined sigh.

The next twelve hours are going to be such hell, Dan just knows.

He gets to work, setting Winston’s food bowl up. The puppy pounces on the food, scarfing it down.

“You’re going to make yourself sick,” Dan admonishes, making sure to pat him as he eats - over his chest and around his mouth, like all of the wiki-pages said - to prevent food aggression. Winston doesn’t growl but Dan continues to pat him, just wanting to run his fingers through his fur.

“The most beautiful pup in the world,” he coos contently.

His eyes fall shut as he waits, and when the sound of teeth scraping against the metal bowl stops, he cracks his eyes open. Winston has gone to his bed, curled in a small ball.

“Good boy,” Dan praises softly, getting up carefully so he doesn’t disturb him.

Dan makes his way upstairs slowly, startling when Phil speaks.

“No shower today?” he comments.

Dan stares, uncomprehending.

“You usually shower after your bath, but your hair isn’t wet,” Phil explains.

Dan would be the worst criminal in the world. The little details aren’t his forte.

“Um, nah. It was fine. Didn’t need it,” he shrugs, and Phil doesn’t question it.

“Did you have a nice bath?”

Surely Phil knows.  _ Surely  _ he’s suspicious. Or is he just being a good boyfriend? Dan’s so paranoid he can’t tell.

“Yeah. It was nice. A lot of time to think.”

“Good,” Phil nods. “Have you thought about dinner yet?”

Dan’s weirded out by how normal this conversation is. By how unassuming Phil is.

“Umm, how about take out? Does anyone deliver on Christmas Eve?”

“I’m pretty sure,” Phil says confidently, “And it sounds good, even though we’ll be eating the absolute worst stuff tomorrow.”

Dan shrugs, “‘Tis the season to get fat.”

“Amen,” Phil says cheekily, “C’mere. I feel like I haven’t seen you all day.”

Dan idly wonders if he smells like dog, checking his sweater. He’s  _ covered  _ in dog hairs, but it kind of blends in with the black cashmere. Hopefully Phil doesn’t spot any of them.

In Phil’s arms, he finally relaxes.

***

He gets up twice in the next few hours to check on Winston.

The first time is easy. When he goes downstairs to get their delivery food, he opens one of the boxes with incredible speed, separating a couple of bits of chicken for Winston. He pokes his head into the room and sees that Winston is still sleeping, sprawled out upside-down. Dan drops the chicken onto the floor before making a hasty retreat. It isn’t dinner, but it will be a nice treat for him.

The second time is a little more chaotic.

They’re halfway through a movie. Phil’s lips are on his neck, one arm slung around his hips as they lay against each other. It’s nice. Comfortable.

And then Winston barks.

Dan sits up in a panic, dislodging Phil and waking him.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Um, nothing. Just- just thought I heard something.”

“Mm?” Phil murmurs, still half-asleep, “What kind of something?” he asks, blinking rapidly, “Something I should be concerned about?”

Dan swallows thickly, “Um, no. No, like, a mouse,” he says quickly, off the assumption that Phil hadn’t heard anything at all, “Um, I’ll just go check.”

“A mouse? Ew,” Phil says, getting to his feet and swaying slightly on the spot.

“What are you doing?” Dan asks, trying not to let fear bleed into his tone.

Phil blinks sleepily. “Thought I’d come, we can go on a mouse hunt together…”

Dan laughs, internally panicking but externally grinning widely, “Stay,” he says softly, “I’m a brave mouse hunter. I’ll bring you back my bounty.”

Phil wrinkles his nose in distaste, “I don’t want a mouse,” he announces tiredly, fighting back a yawn.

“Fine. You’re getting nothing then,” Dan says, leaning forward to give him a reassuring kiss, “Trust me. I got this.”

He can no longer tell what suspicious behaviour is, but he hopes this isn’t it.

He heads downstairs again - and damn, he’s going to get really fit if he keeps this up. He opens the door and Winston twirls excitedly, bouncing into a play bow, his tail whipping back and forth.

Linda said they barked at the door for the toilet, so he quickly hurries to get Winston’s leash, harnessing him up and getting outside. They have to be quick - mouse hunting isn’t a good excuse and there’s no way he can keep it up for too long.

Winston seems excited to be outside though, sniffing at everything - trees, bushes, rocks. He even picks up a rock in his mouth, carrying it with them to the grassy area.

“Come on, buddy. Please. Just go. We have to get back.”

Winston continues sniffing, occasionally looking back at Dan, but he finally does go. Dan doesn’t need the bag this time so he hastily heads back, sneaking inside the house and setting Winston back up.

“Phil will be asleep soon, and I’ll come and bring you dinner and keep you company for a bit, okay?” Dan tells him. Phil seems wasted tonight, and Dan secretly hope it stays that way.

Dan gives Winston one last pat before heading upstairs, an excuse on his lips for why that took so long, but Phil has already fallen asleep.

Dan’s surprised. Phil doesn’t usually sleep well on Christmas Eve,  but Dan appreciates the unexpected convenience. He goes to the kitchen, taking the meat from the freezer and heating up the pan. There’s no way he can disguise the cooking, so he pulls out some Doritos and salsa, starting to make the beginnings of nachos. With the dog meat and the actual ground beef cooking on the stove, hopefully it won’t be too suspicious. He puts some rice on as well, putting in the vegetables, as a very helpful guide told him to do.

Phil doesn’t wake for a while, which allows Dan to finish cooking the dog meat, adding it to the rice and vegetables and setting it aside to cool.

“D’you get the mouse?” Phil asks from the couch, sounding like his face is half smushed into the cushions, and Dan chuckles.

“Not quite,” Dan murmurs, “Gonna go look for it again, later.”

“That’s dumb,” Phil mumbles back, “We should just get a cat.”

“Mm.” Dan’s noise is non-commital, and he gets a plate of the nachos to put in front of Phil. They only ate a few hours ago, but they like their food.

Besides, the excited noise Phil makes about nachos is worth the exercise they’ll need to do to work it off.

“Gonna see if I can lure the mouse out with some food,” Dan says absently, but in reality he just came up with the idea and he’s so proud of himself, getting the container of dog food

“You’re taking this mouse thing too seriously,” Phil comments. Luckily he doesn’t turn around, so he can’t see the supposed three-course meal Dan has cooked for the mouse,  “What will you do once it eats the food? Pounce?”

Dan winces, “I- nah. I’ll just… scare it into never coming back.”

“Fine,” Phil allows, “But I’m watching ‘Nailed It’ without you.”

Dan doesn’t even like that show. It’s just fluff, for when neither of them want to watch anything too draining. He heads back downstairs and if he’s honest, he can feel the light strain in his calves. Too many stairs. Far too many.

He heads into the bathroom and Winston is turning in excited circles again. He feels bad, but he pulls out the food bowl and dishes out the meat, rice and vegetables.

“You’re eating better than we are, aren’t you, little one?” he asks, as Winston starts gobbling down the food. Again, he’s diligent with petting him down to deter food aggression, and when he hears a little growl, Dan growls back.

“No, you don’t get to be upset,” Dan scolds him in a firm tone, “I’m not gonna take your food.”

Luckily Winston doesn’t put up a fight. He didn’t even stop eating to growl at him, and he’s happily chowing down now without incident.

“It’s not long now,” Dan promises, checking his phone. It’s finally getting late. Winston would sleep, they’d sleep, and Christmas morning would be perfect.

In theory.

But Linda  _ had _ said that the dogs would be active after a nap and some food.

She wasn’t wrong.

Winston’s tail (the tiny stub of it) wiggles back and forth at an alarming speed, and the look in his eye almost turns manic. He turns in a circle, leaping up onto Dan’s lap, before leaping down and sprinting to the other end of the tiny bathroom.

“Oh no, you’ve got the zoomies, haven’t you?” Dan laughs.

His nails make a click-clicking sound on the tiles, but Dan is pretty sure it won’t be heard from a flight up.

He continues to race around the room, making laps while Dan just watches with an amused grin on his face. He reaches out, trying to fake-catch him, which only makes Winston run faster.

Winston is only a puppy though, and it doesn’t take him long to tire. His eyes are still wide and the stub of his tail is relentless, but his tongue is lolling out of his mouth and he flops down against Dan’s leg with a huff.

Dan rakes his fingers through his short fur, chuckling softly, “You’re going to be such a handful,” he says fondly. “But I have to go now, or Phil is going to come downstairs and find you.”

Dan gives him an extra good scratch, before getting to his feet and sighing, “Not long now. You should sleep, and I’ll come check on you in the middle of the night, okay?”

Winston already looks half asleep, and without Dan next to him he gets to his feet, trying to follow him to the door. Dan’s heart melts, “Not yet baby. Soon, I promise.”

He manages to exit without any drama, but the guilt surges. He almost gives up on his surprise, ready to reveal Winston when he hears Phil getting up.

“Dan?”

He shuts the bathroom door and heads upstairs, grinning, “Sorry. Went on a mouse hunt, then got distracted on my phone.”

Phil rolls his eyes affectionately, “Mhm,” he hums teasingly, “Come spend time with me. I feel like I haven’t seen you all day.”

So Phil  _ has _ noticed his absences. In Dan’s head, they haven’t been that long, but maybe it seems longer for Phil when he’s alone. But Winston’s been fed, he’s been to the toilet and he has a bed - hopefully he’ll sleep and Dan will only need to check on him if he makes a noise.

“Do you want to watch a movie and then sleep?” Dan asks, “Tomorrow is gonna be long and full of people and forced joy and over-reactions to shit presents.”

Phil only considers this for a second before nodding, “Yeah, I guess,” he says, stretching, “I’d rather be fully rested for that kind of pain.”

Dan chuckles and walks forward, wrapping his arms around Phil and pulling him close.

“Oh,” Phil murmurs, “Hello clingy,” he says, but his arms wind around Dan too, his chin resting on Dan’s shoulder.

“Hi,” Dan responds softly, his eyes closing.

They stand there for a few moments in silence. Dan doesn’t know what brought it on, but he just wanted a hug. And at least Phil is very accommodating. He finally pulls away, once he feels his physical touch bar is sufficiently filled.

“I got a put-out text from mum earlier,” Phil says as they’re turning off all the lights (including the Christmas tree), turning off the heater and going up to bed.

“Oh? What did she say?”

“She’s annoyed by the arrangements again.”

Dan laughs quietly, “You go home every few months.”

Phil groans lightly. “I know, I know. But she likes seeing me on Christmas Day.”

“I think this arrangement works better,” Dan reasons. “Your parents before Christmas, our friends on Christmas Day, and my parents afterwards. Every party gets both of us there. Surely it’s a win-win?”

“Not for my Mum.”

“Next year she can be the Christmas Day party.”

Phil nods, “I already promised her that.”

Dan chuckles and rolls his eyes, “Of course you did.”

***

They get ready for bed, mostly in silence. Bathroom first, for joint teeth-brushing, and Phil takes out his contacts and they wash their faces. Dan puts on his moisturiser, rubbing some on Phil’s face just to annoy him. He screeches in protest, wiping it off and back onto Dan with a light-hearted grumble. It’s all routine; all what makes them feel safe and sleepy.

They slip into bed with a movie on the laptop, curled into each other and holding hands, at least to start with.

As the movie goes on, Dan watches Phil get sleepier and sleepier, until finally he looks too tired to concentrate.

“Ready for bed?”

“No,” Phil replies stubbornly, “Christmas is tomorrow…”

“And if you sleep, it will come faster,” Dan compromises, closing down the laptop and putting it aside, turning the side-table lamp off and settling onto his pillow in the darkness.

“Mm… but so many people…” Phil grouses half-heartedly.

“But  _ presents _ ,” Dan counters. “You’ll get to see all the cool things I got you.”

Phil is quiet for a few moments. When he speaks, Dan can hear the smile in his voice.

“Yeah? What did you get me?”

“Not telling,” Dan replies cheekily, “You have to go to sleep and find out when you wake up.”

Phil huffs, “But-”

Dan finds his mouth in the darkness and cuts him off with a chaste kiss, “Sleep.”

Phil lets out a long exhale before he throws an arm over Dan, “Fine.”

Dan grins, but the arm over him doesn’t really help his ‘checking on Winston’ plan. He’s going to have to trust that the dog will bark if he needs something. Hopefully.

Phil is asleep almost instantly, and Dan is jealous of him for a moment _.  _ He knows that Phil sometimes has problems sleeping, and so he can’t be too upset with him. But at least with Phil, his sleeplessness is  only sometimes. Dan is  _ often _ awake. Tonight, it takes him another forty-five minutes of trying to remove his thoughts from reality, to float about it all and get lost in sleep. He gets distracted in a fantasy - a continuation of the  _ Mark of Oxin _ tonight.

***

It’s three in the morning when Dan starts awake, unsure when he even fell asleep. It takes him a while to figure out what woke him, when it happens again - a bark.

Phil has rolled onto his side, so Dan has no trouble getting out of the bed. He creeps quietly to the wardrobe and pulls on the thickest coat he can, slipping socked feet into slippers; Winston barked, so it means they’re heading outside. He gives a pre-emptive shiver, heading down all the stairs (and yep, there’s the muscle ache) to the bathroom.

“Hey buddy,” he greets quietly, giving Winston a nice scratch and harnessing him up, “Did you have a good sleep? You were a very good boy,” he praises softly, “No crying or anything.”

He takes Winston to the door, opening it up to a blast of frigid air, “Mm, fuck, that’s cold. I hope you learn to hold your bladder through the night.”

It’s dark and cold and Dan regrets this choice; trekking out behind the flats and waiting in the darkness, bleary-eyed with his arms wrapped around himself, shivering. The coat is not enough for this cold night. He wonders if Winston is okay - perhaps they need to get him a coat too.

“Come on, Winston…” Dan whines.

The dog trots for a  _ long _ time, but Dan hasn’t brought his phone so he can’t tell if it’s actually a long time, or if it’s just his tired brain’s inability to understand the passage of time.

Finally,  _ finally  _ Winston makes up his mind and Dan sleepily cleans up after him, disposing the baggy in the public bin.

“Alright, just a few more hours of sleep, and then I promise, no more bathroom…” he assures the puppy.

Dan doesn’t register that it’s already Christmas Day until they’re back inside the downstairs bathroom. He kisses the soft top of Winston’s head and smiles lightly.

“Merry Christmas, Winston. See you soon!”

The thought of getting back into their warm bed has Dan hurrying up the stairs, despite how his legs scream in agony. He ditches the coat and slippers, getting back under the still-warm covers, and easily falling back to sleep.

***

Dan wakes with another start, but this time it’s to Phil grunting sleepily, with each grunt becoming progressively more high pitched.

“Dan, Dan!” Phil is crying urgently now, but not in distress. Still, he’s too loud to be talking like that when he’s right beside Dan’s head.

“Mm?” Dan can’t even open his eyes. He’s so tired.

“Daniel, there’s a  _ dog _ in our apartment.”

Dan’s eyes have never opened faster or wider. He sits up in a panic, only to find a very pleased looking Winston sitting on Phil’s chest.

Dan has so many questions, but Phil is just staring at Winston, half smiling and half in awe.

“I-um, Surprise?” Dan announces weakly.

“Surprise? What do you mean surprise?” Phil says incredulously, his eyebrows practically disappearing into his hairline.

“This…” Dan begins, reaching for the puppy and dragging him between them, “is Winston.”

“Winston?” Phil repeats. “Why is Winston in our apartment? And why do you know who Winston is?”

Dan laughs softly as Winston curls between them, seemingly exhausted.

“Winston was supposed to be your surprise Christmas present,” Dan explains. “So... Merry Christmas?”

Phil gazes at Winston. “The merriest of Christmases,” he breathes, and Dan thinks he couldn’t have planned a more perfect reveal.

Dan accepts Phil’s grateful kiss, and then explains as Phil drags his fingers gently through Winston’s thick puppy fur.

“Anyway, so, long story, but Louise was supposed to be bringing him when she came over today but Darcy was allergic so he had to come  _ here _ and so I’ve been keeping him a secret all yesterday, and- well,” Dan presses his lips together in a wry smile. “I must’ve not shut the bathroom door properly when I took him out at  _ three in the bloody morning.” _

Phil only half-listens, mostly focused on giving Winston the nicest pats he can.

“So  _ that’s _ why you were so weird yesterday…” he says, connecting the dots.

Dan laughs, “I was hoping my mouse hunting was sufficient enough to throw you off.”

“I just thought you were having a day,” Phil grins and then dissolves into laughter, “Oh my god, we have a dog? You got us a dog? Winston, here, come here!”

He pats his chest and Winston, with his clumsy little legs, flops and wiggles and bounces until he’s sprawled over Phil, who laughs delightedly. Of  _ course _ , Winston would listen to Phil.

Dan pulls out his phone to get a video of it, grinning widely. It’s not the reveal he imagined, but it’s still sweet.

“And you named him ‘Winston’?” Phil asks wondrously.

“Actually,” Dan says, dragging the word out dramatically. “When I went for the meet and greet, that was  _ already  _ his name. Honestly, I couldn’t say no to that.”

Phil laughs, “Sounds like fate to me.”

Dan rolls his eyes but doesn’t protest, reaching out to rough Winston’s head up. The puppy flops over, his tiny tail moving at a rate Dan didn’t even know it could go.

“Thank you,” Phil says softly, grinning up at him, “My gift absolutely pales in comparison.”

Dan waves him off. “As long as it’s not a talking facebank,  it’s going to be fine.”

Phil shakes his head with a chuckle. There’s silence then, as Phil coos over the new dog and Dan stretches.

“Oh, you’ll have to see all the cute things I bought him,” Dan adds. “There’s still coats and stuff we have to get - I was up early this morning, freezing my ass off in the cold while he peed, so a coat is definitely on the agenda. I don’t want him to freeze.”

“I can’t wait,” Phil says genuinely. “Can we go see the stuff now? And maybe go out the back and play with him a bit before our friends want to come over and take all the attention away from him?”

“Are you crazy?” Dan asks, “When our friends get here, Winston will be the only one getting any attention,”

Phil agrees with a laugh.

“Can we have breakfast first?” Dan asks. “We bought those yummy croissants and I want to do our little gifts first.”

Phil beams, nodding, “And Winston can eat too?”

“Yeah. I can teach you to cook the gross dog meat,” Dan declares, glad that he can share that one particular chore “I can’t believe you didn’t smell it, but I hid it when I was cooking the nacho meat.”

“I  _ thought _ it smelt different, but then the nachos were just regular. I couldn’t figure it out.”

Dan giggles softly, finally getting out of bed and finding his coat, struggling to get it back on. He slides his socked feet back into his slippers, heading to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Only, he’s met with carnage.

“Oh my God.”

Dan isn’t sure where to look first.

The Christmas tree is on its side, and there’s baubles and tinsel  _ everywhere _ . In fact, the tinsel is everywhere  _ and _ in pieces. Glitter covers the lounge room, and the star on the top is chewed and dented with tiny puppy teeth.

The one present casualty seems to be something small, and Winston only managed to get through the wrapping paper - from here, the box looks intact.

Phil steps up behind him and Dan hears his soft swearing.

An excited Winston zooms past their heels and into the chaos, scattering the tinsel even more.

“Oh my God,” Phil repeats.

Dan doesn’t know what to say, lips pursed as he glances at Winston, at the mess he’d made. He just sighs and smiles.

“Merry Christmas, Phil.”


End file.
